One Life Lost, Another One Gained
by they're only words
Summary: AU. Takes place in Derek and Casey's senior year. A friend becomes a casualty of gang violence, then his girlfriend finds out she's carrying his child. How will Derek and Casey help?
1. Prologue

A/N-Hey guys! I'm writing this story together with my friend Boris Yeltsin. This was his genius idea, and he's letting me help. This first chapter is his, and the next one will be mine. We still don't have a name for this story, so if you want to leave suggestions in reviews, we would appreciate it! This story takes place in Casey and Derek's senior year. It's pretty much completely AU. Casey, Derek, Sam, and Emily have been close friends since childhood, and Casey and Derek grew up as neighbors. Derek, Casey, Emily, and Sam are 18, Lizzie and Edwin are 15, and Marti is 9.

Disclaimer-We don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringment intended.

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She couldn't believe it. After 9 whole months, Emily Davis was going to be a mom. Not just any mom, she'd learned around month 5 that she was going to have twins. Of course she was happy about it, but at the same time, she couldn't help thinking about the kind of responsibilities she'd have.

Currently, the 18-year-old was on the couch of the house of her friend Casey's house, watching a movie playing on TV, although she wasn't really paying attention to it.

Just then, she felt something wet splash onto the couch.

'No', she thought. 'Not now'.

She looked down anyway, only to discover that what she thought was happening was. Her water had broken.

Frantically, she found her cell phone, and dialed Casey's number, only to get her voice mail.

'Great', she thought sarcastically.

She left a quick message telling Casey to get over to her house as soon as possible.

She didn't want to have a home birth, but she felt a hospital birth would feel a lot worse.

As she waited, she leaned back against the couch as best she could, thinking as much as she didn't want to, back to that dreadful night that had started everything until now.

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A/N-Just the prologue, more to come soon! Review! 


	2. Chapter 1

A/N-Hey guys! Another new chapter! This one's mine. Not much to say, except that we are still taking title ideas. Help us out and leave some suggestions in your reviews!

Disclaimer-We don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringment intended.

* * *

"Oh, God, Sam, how cheesy can you get?" Casey McDonald laughed as she walked down the street with her boyfriend Derek Venturi, her best friend Emily Davis, and her best friend's boyfriend Sam Adams. It was late August, the last weekend before school started again. It would be their senior year. They were enjoying their last shot at freedom before they had to go back. They had just come out of the movie theatre.

"Hey, that was not cheesy, that was funny. Your sense of humor must be way off," Sam defended himself.

"I think I'm going to have to side with Sam on this one Casey," Derek added.

Casey lightly swatted his arm. "I will come to your house in the middle of the night and hide all your posters." Casey and Derek had lived next door to each other since they were five. Emily had moved in across the street from them two years later, and Sam completed the quartet when he moved in a two houses down when they were ten. They had all grown up together, and consequently spent every waking moment together. Everyone knew that the four of them were planning on attending the same college next fall, and would probably end up buying houses next to each other. Some people even speculated on the possibility of a double wedding.

Derek pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Oh, you would not. You would be too distracted by me to remember your plan."

"Nah, Casey's right. That was quite possibly the lamest joke I have ever heard," Emily agreed, bumping Sam with her hip.

"Psh, whatever. Maybe the sense of humor gene is on the y-chromosome, since Derek and I are the only ones who can appreciate its greatness."

"Or maybe Casey and I are just a bit more refined."

They walked by a Coldstone. "Hey, who wants ice cream?" Emily asked.

"Ooh, yeah, that sounds good!" Casey agreed.

The four headed into the ice cream shop. They spent so much time inside, laughing and talking, that the manager had to kick them out at closing time.

"Wow, I didn't realize it was that late," Casey commented as they walked outside.

"Yeah, it looks like everyone else has already headed home," Emily agreed.

Sam looked around. He noticed a group of guys standing around on a corner whispering to each other. "Uh, yeah, it is looking a little quiet. Please stick close to us, girls."

Casey began to protest, and Derek shushed her. "Casey, please, for once, don't argue." He slipped an arm around her shoulder protectively as Emily moved closer to Sam.

As they approached the group, Derek and Sam could see the other guys sizing them up. "Hey ladies," one of them said. Casey and Emily smiled in return, but kept their eyes on the ground.

"Why don't you ditch the boys and come hang with some real men?" another asked.

Derek looked up and glared at the guy in question. The guy glared back, and started to step closer. Derek quickly backed down, and pulled Casey along the street as a car turned onto the street.

The rear window rolled down and the barrel of a gun slid out. Shots rang out. Derek shoved Casey to the ground and threw himself on top of her. Sam pushed Emily to the wall and shielded her with his body. The unknown men dropped to the ground or scattered. As quickly as the car had pulled up, it disappeared.

"Casey? Casey? Are you okay?" Derek asked, pulling himself off of her and helping her to her feet.

"I'm fine, I'm just-" Casey started to say when she was cut off by a scream from Emily.

"Sam! Sam! Oh my God, Sam!"

Derek and Casey rushed over to where Sam had pulled Emily. Derek grabbed a hold of Sam's shoulders. Sam slumped over and Derek stumbled a little under the sudden weight. He kneeled down and laid Sam down gently on the ground. Emily crouched down next to them.

"Sam! Buddy, talk to me! Are you okay?" Derek asked, shaking him. "Sammy!" He lightly slapped Sam's face. Sam's eyes fluttered gently.

"I'm calling the cops," Casey said, pulling out her cell phone. She glanced up for the first time and noticed that the other guys had disappeared. She shook her head. _Irresponsible thugs,_ she thought.

"Sam? Baby, please wake up!" Emily cried.

Sam slowly came to. He looked at Emily and tried to talk. "I-I-I-"

She shushed him. "Save your strength."

Sam shook his head and tried again. Emily leaned in closer to hear him. His words were barely a whisper. "I love you," he said; then his eyes closed again.

An ambulance pulled up, lights flashing and siren blaring. An EMT gently pushed Emily out of her way, while another one asked Derek what happened.

"We were walking, then there were gunshots, and Sam got hit."

The man nodded. "Sam? Can you hear me Sam?" There was no response. "Come on, let's get him to the hospital." The man and the woman lifted Sam onto the stretcher and loaded him into the back. Emily hopped in after them.

"Will you guys come too?" she asked, tears streaming down her face.

"Yes. We'll call our parents and then we'll be right there," Casey assured her. Emily nodded, looking terrified. The doors closed and the ambulance drove away. Casey collapsed into Derek's arms. Derek gently rubbed her back as he pulled out his cell phone.

"Hey Dad,…it was good…yeah, we got ice cream after…something happened…look, I'll explain everything if you can just come and pick Casey and I up…we're over on Washington, down the street from Coldstone…okay, bye." He hung up the phone and pulled Casey away from his chest. "Are you going to call your mom or do you want me to?"

"Will you? Please?" she asked, leaning back into him.

He nodded and opened his phone again. "Hey Mrs. M.,…yeah, uh, Sam got, uh, hurt, so Casey and I are headed to the hospital…I dunno, it looks bad…no, my dad's coming…yeah, we'll call you as soon as we find out…bye."

George's car came around the corner just then. Derek led Casey to the back and helped her in gently, then he climbed into the front.

"Derek, what happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am, but Sam's not. Could you take us to the hospital please?"

"Of course." George put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb. "What happened?"

"Well…"

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"Hi, we're here to see Samuel Adams," Derek said to the harassed looking nurse at the front desk.

"Okay, um," she typed something into the computer, then got a strange look on her face. "Well, his family is still up on the third floor. They're in room 304."

Derek ran up the stairs without another word. Casey followed close behind him, and George waited for the elevator.

Derek came up to the room and saw Sam's family and Emily standing around his bed. "Sam!" he yelled, and pushed his way through. Sam's father Steve caught Derek around the waist as he started to fall. "No, it's not true, no, no, no," he said as he slowly sank down.

Casey came over to stand by Emily and looked down at Sam's body. He was white as a sheet. He wasn't connected to any of the monitors. Casey didn't think she had ever seen him look so peaceful.

Emily spoke quietly from her side. "He was already gone by the time the ambulance got there. They were trying to revive him for our benefit mostly. He just lost too much blood." She didn't look away from Sam's face the entire time. She sounded like she was trying to keep all emotion out of her voice, like she had to stay strong.

Casey slid an arm around her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault," Emily said tonelessly, shrugging.

"Em?" Casey asked, gently. Emily turned to face her. "Em, I…I don't know what to say here."

"Yeah, not much to say, is there?" Emily responded, turning back to look at Sam. "Case, I'm scared. I've never not had him around." She turned to Casey again. "What am I going to do?" She began to cry.

Casey put her arms around Emily comfortingly. "Shh, I know. It's scary. But you'll find a way. Derek and I will always be here for you." Emily nodded, but didn't pull away. Casey held her and continued to rub her back soothingly.

"Mr. Adams?" a woman asked. She appeared to be fortyish, in a pants suit, carrying a stack of forms. "Hi, my name is Jill Anderson. I'm a bereavement counselor here at the hospital. I know now's not the best time, and there's never really a good time to do this, but I've got some paperwork for you to fill out, and some pamphlets. I can also help make funeral arrangements if you'd like."

Steve nodded dumbly, and his wife, Julie, came over. "We'll go ahead and do whatever it is you need us to. Girls, why don't you go on home? There's no point in staying here any longer."

Sam's sisters nodded and walked outside. "Do you guys need a ride?" Shelly, the oldest, asked.

"No, my dad's here somewhere," Derek replied. "Thanks though. And, I'm really sorry." He set a hand on her shoulder. "Really, I am."

She nodded and set her hand on top of his. "I know. Thank you." The three sisters walked away, arms around each other, like they would fall if they weren't supporting each other.

They found George waiting by the elevator. "I, uh, saw what was going on and thought maybe you'd all like to be alone." His eyes were watering.

Derek nodded. "Yeah, well, you could've come in."

"Maybe its better that I didn't," he said. He pulled Derek in for a hug. He whispered in his ear, "As awful as it is, I'm glad you're okay. I can't imagine what Steve and Julie are going through right now. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I know. I love you Dad."

"I love you too."

Derek pulled away. "Can we go home? I just want to sleep."

George nodded and led the three teens away.

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Casey stood in front of her closet, contemplating what to wear. Today was Sam's funeral. She didn't know what would be best. This was the first funeral she had ever been to that her parents hadn't dressed her for.

She pulled two black dresses out. One came down to the middle of her shins and had a scoop neck; the other ended at the top of her knees and had a V-neck. Still unsure, she slipped her shoes on and walked over to Emily's.

Emily opened the door in response to her knock. "Which one?" Casey asked, holding both up. Emily took them from her and walked inside wordlessly. Casey followed her as she headed upstairs to her bedroom.

Emily laid both down on her bed; then pointed to the V-neck. "The other one makes you look like a little kid."

"Thanks," Casey said, moving to put it on. "How are you doing?"

Emily sighed and leaned against her dresser. "I don't know. It doesn't really feel real yet. Like, that day at the hospital was real enough, and I know that he's really gone, but I keep expecting him to come through the door. It's just weird to think that he's really gone."

Casey nodded. She moved over to Emily, who wordlessly zipped her dress for her. Casey turned around and hugged her. "I'm so sorry."

"I know. I'm sorry too. He was your friend too."

"I know, and I loved him too, but it's different for me. I've-" she stopped and bit her lip, unsure if she should continue.

"You've still got Derek," Emily finished for her. "Don't worry, I know."

"It just sounds so selfish, you know? 'Yeah, I'm sorry you lost your boyfriend, thank God I've still got mine.' How much bitchier could you get?"

"That really wasn't what I was thinking at all. I'm glad you still have someone to lean on, because I'm probably going to be leaning on you a lot more now. If you didn't have a back-up, you'd probably kill me."

Casey smiled and nodded. "So, what are you wearing?"

"I have no idea. All my black dresses are more suitable for winter. It's way too hot out there for them."

"You can borrow my other dress. Or, what about this one?" she asked, pulling out a dark blue sleeveless dress. It fell at about mid-thigh on her.

"You don't think it's a little inappropriate?" Emily asked.

"No, it's hotter than hell out there. And, dark blue is close enough to black that it'll be fine. Besides, Sam loved this dress on you."

Emily got a faraway look on her face. "Yeah, he did." She giggled, remembering happier times.

Casey pushed the dress at her, snapping her out of her daze. "Come on, it's almost time."

Emily grabbed the dress and began putting it on. "How's Derek doing?"

Casey's face got dark. "He's probably very hung over right now. He's been out partying every night. I've tried to get him to talk to me, or even to George, but he refuses. Any time we try, he says that he's tired and he goes to his room and locks the door. I'm pretty sure he sneaks out after that, because he never answers his phone. I'm worried about him."

"I know. But he just lost his best friend in the world. Things will probably get better in a week or two."

"Yeah, but what if something really bad happens before that? I don't think we could handle losing another person."

Emily nodded slowly. "But you can't force him to talk to you. You just have to ride it out." The girls walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Emily's parents Jerry and Linda were sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. "Why aren't you getting ready? The funeral is in an hour."

"We aren't going, sweetie," Linda said, surprised. "Did you think we were?"

"Well, yeah, you did know him."

"Not really, dear. You four would usually play over at Derek's house. Casey is the only one we knew from when you were little. We didn't really see Sam until you started dating."

"Well, what about because he was my boyfriend then? He was important to me; doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Emily, you're young. In all likelihood, you weren't going to marry this boy. I'm sorry you had to lose someone so young, but your father and I would prefer not to go to this funeral. Losing a child is hard enough without having to have other parents there, reminding you that their children are fine."

Emily stood there looking at her parents in shock. "So that's it. You're not coming because Sam and I were just 'a fling'."

"Stop being so melodramatic," Linda said, taking a drink of her coffee and returning to her paper.

Emily turned around and left. Casey scrambled to catch up. Emily turned to face Casey as soon as they were out on the sidewalk. "Can you believe them?"

"I know, Em. I don't understand what they're thinking. You and Sam were in love. It's not right for them to trivialize your relationship like that."

"Damn right it's not. I can't believe them some days."

Casey nodded; then started walking. "We need to go make sure Derek's moving along okay."

The girls went to the Venturi house and walked in the front door. They had spent most of their time there as children and were as comfortable there as they were at their own houses. "Mr. V? Mrs. V? Anybody home?" Casey called from the front entrance. Suddenly she stumbled backwards as she was tackled around the middle by an energetic nine-year-old.

"Hey Marti. Is Derek up yet?" Casey asked, picking the girl up and settling her on her hip. She noticed that she was already dressed up in nice clothes for the funeral.

She giggled. "Yeah, mommy and daddy made sure he got up. Mommy's over with your mom right now; and daddy's helping Edwin tie his tie."

"Okay, thanks Marti. We're going to go talk to Derek now." She set the girl back on her feet. She motioned to Emily and they walked upstairs to Derek's room. Casey knocked gently on the door. "Derek? Are you in there?" She heard him grunt, and she pushed the door open.

Derek was lying on his bed with his arm slung over his eyes. A blanked had been put up over the window to block out any light that dared enter. There were half eaten sandwiches laying around his room. His clothes were everywhere, as were his CDs and DVDs. It looked like he had trashed his room in a fit of rage.

"Derek, are you okay?" Emily asked, stepping gingerly into the room.

He sat up. His eyes were red rimmed. He spoke, and his voice was hoarse, like he had spent the night smoking, screaming, and crying. "Are you freaking kidding me? No, I'm not okay. My best friend is dead. As in, never coming back. He was like my brother, and he's gone. No, I'm not okay. I'll never be okay."

Emily moved over and sat on the bed next to him. "Derek, I know. How do you think I feel? I loved him. I would've married him. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. He was my best friend too. But this isn't healthy. Do you really think Sam would want you to hole yourself up in your room, coming out only for booze and cigarettes? He'd want you to live for him too."

Derek stared at the ceiling, impassive.

"Fine, sit in here and sulk. Casey and I are going to go say good bye to our friend, then we're going to go out there and live our lives in his memory." She grabbed Casey's arm and dragged her out. Derek sighed and got up to follow them.

"Let's get this over with," he said, sliding one arm around Casey's waist and the other around Emily's shoulders.

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The teens walked into the church and sat down in the third row. The McDonald's and the Venturi's were seated in the fifth row.

Steve and Julie walked over to where Emily, Derek, and Casey were seated. "Thank you so much for coming," Julie said.

Emily stood up to hug her. "Of course. I'm so sorry that this happened."

Julie patted her back soothingly. "I know. Me too. In a perfect world, no parent would ever outlive their child. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. I-" she stopped, holding her hand to her mouth as the tears flowed freely.

"Come on," Steve said, gently leading her back to the front row.

Emily sat back down, crying freely as well. "It's not fair."

Casey reached over and grasped her hand. "I know."

The preacher came up to the podium then, and began the service. None of the three teens paid any attention. They heard flashes, things about, "bigger plans in heaven" and "works in mysterious ways," but they were all too focused on their own memories of Sam to listen to what this man who had never met him had to say.

After the service, they all headed out to Derek's car. "Well, now what?" he asked, looking at Casey and Emily.

Emily slowly shook her head. "I have no idea."


	3. Chapter 2

A/N-Sorry about the long wait, it's completely my fault, not Brian's. We're trying to stay a chapter ahead of everything that gets posted, so the next chapter, mine, just barely got written. This chapter is Brian's, and he's amazing and has had it ready for over a month. I'm sorry again about the wait.

Disclaimer-We don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringement intended.

* * *

The second blow to Emily's life came only a month after Sam's death.

In that month, the police had determined that the bullet that had killed him had come from an AK-47 machine gun, and had tracked it down to one Dmitri Nikolayevich Volkov, a former Red Army general, who appeared to be in the arms dealing business. Now, he might have been selling guns to local gangs, or the Russian mob for all she knew.

She'd started feeling a little funny soon after breakfast one morning. She had promptly puked it right back up a few minutes later.

'No way. I can't be', she thought. There was only one way to find out for sure.

---

A bone chilling scream came from the McDonald's bathroom. Emily had come over to Casey's and had locked herself in without saying a thing. Casey charged in, only to find her friend sprawled out on the floor, a white stick clutched in her hand. Casey's eyes bulged. "Em?", she asked.

"Third one."

"What?"

"Its the third one I've taken", she rasped.

"You're pregnant. Oh my god, are you sure?"

Emily pointed to the garbage can.

"Does 2," she started, before throwing the stick in her hands away too, "3 positive pregnancy tests look unsure to you?"

Casey nodded.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know!" Emily yelled before collapsing into sobs.

Casey just held her, letting the tears fall.

"Its Sam's isn't it?"

"Of course it is!"

A few day later, a test had come back with the results that confirmed her fears, she was expecting Sam Adam's child.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N-Okay, so Brian's a much faster writer than I am, so chapter four is done already, so here's chapter three. I'm going to try to work at getting my chapters out quicker, but I'm not making any promises. Also, where are all the reviews? I can see that you guys are reading it, but we're still stuck at only five reviews. Come on guys, a little love would be some serious motivation!

Disclaimer-We don't own Life with Derek, nor was any copyright infringement intended.

* * *

"How am I going to tell my parents?" Emily asked, still sobbing.

"I have no idea, Em. I'll go with you if you want, though. You know, for moral support."

"Thanks Casey. That means so much to me. I have no idea how I'm going to handle this. I mean, me as a mother? There's no way I'm ready."

"You'll be fine, I'm sure. Yeah, it's scary, but it'll work out. Besides, it'll be like having a little piece of Sam again."

"I don't know if that's a good enough reason to keep a baby. That's kind of selfish of me, isn't it? Just because it's Sam's kid doesn't mean that he or she will be anything like him. If I gave the baby up, maybe it would have a better life. Like, maybe someone rich would adopt it, and sent it to private school and all that crap."

Casey nodded her head. "That's true. I don't know what you should do. Ultimately, it's your baby, you're 18, this is your decision to make alone. No one can tell you what to do."

Emily nodded slowly. "Yeah, but I know that my parents definitely won't see it that way."

"You don't know that for sure. They might understand."

Emily laughed. "Have you met my parents?"

"Well, you'll never know until you tell them," Casey replied slowly.

"Yeah. How long until I have to tell them?"

"Sooner would be better. That way it's not like in Saved, when they find out and she gives birth later that night."

"I would think my parents would notice it before then."

"You never know. They might think you're just 'doing a little stress eating.'"

Emily laughed again. "Yeah, right, I wish."

"So, when?"

"Uh, tonight I guess. You'll come over and back me up right?"

"Of course."

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That night, Casey went over to Emily's house for dinner. Throughout the meal, Casey kept nudging Emily to tell her parents, but every time she would shake her head, "no" and continue eating. When Dimi shouted, "I'm done!" and ran up the stairs, Casey nudged Emily again, hard, and Emily finally spoke up.

"I, uh, I have some news," she said meekly.

Her parents laid down their silverware. "What is it, dear?" Linda asked nervously, noting the hesitant tone in her daughter's voice.

"I'm, um, well, I think that…" she stopped and took a deep breath. "IthinkI'mpregnant," she blurted out in one breath.

"What?" Jerry asked, hoping that he hadn't heard her correctly.

Emily reached over and grabbed Casey's hand for support. "I'm pregnant."

Linda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You're sure?" she asked.

Emily nodded, too afraid to speak.

"If you're nodding I can't see you, Emily Rae," she snapped.

"Yes, I'm sure," she replied quickly.

Linda opened her eyes and said, "Alright then. I'll make the appointment first thing tomorrow."

"Wait, what appointment?" Emily asked, confused. She tightened her grip on Casey's hand.

"An appointment at the clinic. For an abortion."

"Wait, what?" she protested.

"You're too young to handle this, it's the only sensible option," Linda replied tersely.

"Oh, and I don't get a say in this at all? It's my child," Emily argued.

"Yes, it's your child, but you're our child, and we know you can't handle this," Jerry said. "Case closed."

"You can't do that!"

"Oh, yes we can. You live in our house, you'll follow our rules."

"I'm 18, I can do what I want, and I want to keep this baby!"

"Fine, then you can leave," Linda said, standing from the table.

"What? You're kicking me out?"

"If you don't want to follow our rules, then I see no other option," she said, walking to the door and opening it.

"What about a compromise?"

"There is no compromise. Leave now. You can come get your things another time, when we're not here. We don't want you corrupting Dimi with your insubordination."

"This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of," Emily said, striding out the front door. She slammed it closed behind her, then burst into tears.

Casey wrapped her arms around her comfortingly. "It'll be okay, I promise."

"How will it be okay? I'm an 18 year old unwed pregnant high school student who just got kicked out of her parents' house. What part of this suggests that it will be okay?"

Casey didn't reply, just rubbed her back soothingly.

Emily continued to cry for another couple of minutes, then slowly subsided, sniffling every now and then. "Where am I going to go?" she asked.

"Right now, you'll come to my house. I'll convince my parents to let you live there as long as you need to, and then you'll eventually find your own apartment, when things are a little more stable."

"Are you sure that your parents won't mind?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

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"Hi mom," Casey said, walking into the kitchen where Nora was washing dishes.

"Hi honey, how was dinner at the Davis's?" she asked, turning around. "Oh, hello Emily. What is it, dinner at your house, then dessert over here?" she said jokingly.

"Well, see, dinner didn't go over too well," Casey said. "Emily and her parents kinda got into a fight."

"About what?" Nora asked gently.

Emily looked at Casey and Casey stared right back at her. Emily tilted her head towards Nora, as if to say, "she's your mother," and Casey shook her head, suggesting, "uh-uh, it's your news."

Emily sighed. "I found out that I'm, well, pregnant. And they weren't very happy about it, so they tried to force me to get an abortion, and when I wouldn't, they kicked me out."

"Oh my," Nora said. "That seems a little harsh. It is ultimately your decision after all."

"That's what I said," Casey supplied, triumphantly.

"So, what are you going to do now? Do you need a place to stay?" Nora asked.

"Well, that's kind of why I'm here. I was wondering if I could possibly stay here for a while? Just until I get things figured out. I'll help out with all the housework and everything," Emily said.

"Of course you can, sweetie. I'm so sorry that your parents reacted the way that they did. That's hardly fair to you."

"Thank you so much Mrs. McDonald," Emily said, relieved.

"You're very welcome. Are you two going to tell Derek any time soon?"

"I don't know if we should. He's not really in a good place right now," Emily said cautiously. She knew that Casey was still upset about Derek's irresponsible behavior.

"It might snap him out of it though. He's upset about losing his best friend, and if he knew that there was a piece of Sam inside of you, he might start feeling happier. He might want to step up to be a better role model. Since Sam's gone, Derek will probably want to help raise the baby and keep Sam's memory alive," Nora suggested gently.

"It's worth a try," Casey said.

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"Hey Mr. V., is Derek home?" Casey asked, standing on the Venturi's doorstep.

"As far as I know, yeah. Whether or not he actually is, well, your guess is as good as mine," George replied, opening the door to let them in. "You're more than welcome to go check."

"Thanks," Casey said, heading up the stairs with Emily close behind. She knocked on the door. "Derek? If you're in there, please let us in. We need to talk to you."

He grunted from behind the door. "Who's we?" he asked.

"Emily and Casey. It's important," Casey said, beginning to get impatient.

The door swung open. "Can it wait? I was about to go out."

"No, Derek, it can't wait. You shouldn't go out anyway, you've gone out every night for the past two weeks," Casey said irritably.

"Well, sorry if my best friend just died and I'm trying to find a way to deal with it," he replied.

"Derek, that isn't the right way to handle it, and you know it. Casey and I miss Sam just as much as you do, and we aren't self destructing. Now, are you going to let us into your room or not? Because you need to hear what we have to say," Emily snapped.

"Whatever," Derek said, moving out of the way and sitting down on his bed. "So, out with it. What's going on?"

"I'm pregnant," Emily said. She found that it was getting easier to say with each time.

"Wait, what? As in, a baby? Sam's, right?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, a baby. That's generally what 'pregnant' means. And of course it's Sam's, who's else would it be?" Emily replied, annoyed.

Derek just sat there, stunned. Casey nudged him, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Sure, when I figure out what to say. I'm having a bit of a hard time wrapping my mind around the whole 'Emily's pregnant' concept."

"Well, you'd better get your mind wrapped around it pretty quick, because I need all the support I can get," Emily said. "Especially from you two, since you were Sam's closest friends."

"And her parents kicked her out. She's living at my house for the time being," Casey said.

"Wow, heavy," Derek said.

Casey scoffed. "That's all you can say? 'Wow, heavy?' You're so unhelpful."

"Sorry, my brain's still on a bit of overload. I'm here for you Em. Whatever you need, I'll help."

Emily smiled. "I'm so glad you said that, Derek. Here's what I need. I need-"

"Wait, wait, wait. You already need something? Damn, awfully impatient, aren't you?"

"Don't interrupt me, Derek. It's rude. I need for you to start acting more responsible. At this point, I'm really leaning on the two of you to help me raise this baby. However, you won't be any help at all if you continue to go out and party every night. You're going to have to start acing like a positive role model for this baby." Derek started to say something when Emily interrupted him. "And I know perfectly well that you're capable of it, so don't even try to give me that crap."

Derek closed his mouth and sat still for a moment, thinking it over. "Okay, I can handle that. It makes sense anyway. I'm sorry that I've been pulling this crap, it wasn't very smart of me."

"Damn right it wasn't. You really had me worried there for a while," Casey said gently.

"I'm so sorry. I'll try my hardest to never make you that worried about me ever again," he said, draping an arm around her shoulders. "So, we're having a baby?"

"We're having a baby," Emily answered, smiling.


End file.
